Crazy Beautiful
by Seasaltaddict
Summary: In Seventh Heaven things seemed to have a way of mellowing out; even the Turks who once fought so strongly against the AVALANCHE group had come to accept some of its members as a kind of acquaintance. However, there will always be those who can't move on.


Crazy beautiful

Disclaimer: Fan_fiction_.

Rating: T

Description:

In Seventh Heaven things seemed to have a way of mellowing out; even the Turks who once fought so strongly against the AVALANCHE group had come to accept some of its members as a kind of acquaintance. However ShinRa didn't seem to be capable of trust, not in the face of those once called eco-terrorists; That's where it began. It ended, as always, in a bloody mess.

- - - - - -

Yuffie bounced her way giddily over to the bar, a smile bright as the sun on her lips and her eyes dancing with light one rarely saw when she wasn't looking at a piece of materia. "Good morning Tifa!" She exclaimed; the brunette smiled back at her with a sort of soft calm in her eyes. The white rose of Wutai was always welcome in their little safe-haven. She leaned against the bar, her elbows touching its newly cleaned surface lightly as she rested her cheek against her hand. "Is he here today?" She questioned, no attempt made to hide her purpose in coming to the bar. "Well?" she said, demanding and impatient as ever.

Tifa giggled, "Oh Yuffie, calm down. No, he's not here- didn't he tell you? He's gone back to work." The girl answered her spoiled friend. The ninja slumped over and let her lower lip jut out in a pouting gesture, grumbling a bit. "Come on Yuffie, you can't expect him to hang around here forever- you knew he was on a vacation." In truth, she didn't think it would be forever but she would've liked a longer stay. 'He didn't even say goodbye…' she thought, sulky and upset with him. "Are you just going to sit there? If you're going to sulk around here, make yourself useful and watch the kids alright?" Densel and Marlene were off playing somewhere nearby, and it was somewhat hard to divide her attention between watching them and cleaning the bar. Defeated, Yuffie dragged her feet as she headed off to find them.

It was hardly fair, having her new playmate taken so suddenly from her! For the last week or so he'd been her major source of entertainment! The redhead showed up one day at the bar, claiming to be hanging around on vacation. Why he would choose a place like this was anyone's guess, it wasn't exactly scenic or anything… although much improved from its state before the war. Yuffie didn't care much about all that though; background, circumstances… what did it matter who this stranger was? She had asked him if he wanted to come play with her; Cloud and Tifa were always busy, the children could never keep up with her and there wasn't anyone else around on a regular basis.

It was like they were joined at the hip from that moment on- he'd put up with her ridiculous nature without a word of complaint, they'd go tromping about pulling pranks, people watching, taking day trips… She sighed in boredom as she passed the ball back and forth with the kids. The nineteen year old still couldn't help but be upset that Reno hadn't even said a proper goodbye. Tifa wondered out at about a quarter to five with a big smile and a cellphone in her hand. "Hey Yuffie, it's your boyfriend~" she teased, dangling the phone which the girl dashed over to snatch, sticking her tongue out at her friend.

"Reno!" she called into the phone.

"Hey babe. Sorry I got called in on short notice, yo." He answered, his voice smooth and sly as always.

"You should've left a note!" he chuckled, knowing that she would be upset. "You owe me big time, I got stuck babysitting all day!"

"I'll make it up, cross my heart." He said. "How about dinner?"

"Hmmm… I don't know…." She paused playfully. "Sure! I'll meet you… wait, where?" She asked, having gotten ahead of herself.

"The chandelier- you know, the nice joint on the edge of town?" He replied, attempting to stifle laughter. She stuck her tongue out at the phone despite knowing full well he would be unable to see her, making a 'nuuhhh' sound she knew he would recognize to make up for the fact. "I'm headed there now."

Turning off the phone, she handed it back to the brunette. "Sorry, no more babysitting for me! I have a date!" She said, almost gloating. Tifa just shook her head as the nineteen year old set off down the street- after all, it wasn't far, and who needs a car when you're a ninja?

At the restaurant, she waited nervously in the front, tugging at her dress. She'd stopped by her apartment to change into something more formal, and the dress made the tomboyish girl uncomfortable. It was a small, cherry red dress that ended a bit before her knees and was strapless, with a sort of crimson sash on the waist. It almost made her look a bit curvy, although she was for the most part fairly thin and flat. It really made her jealous of Tifa sometimes, and those ungodly large jugs the girl had. Reno pulled up in a black car with tinted windows and parked, getting out with a grin at the girl… there was something different in his eyes, a sort of tiredness. It must've been from whatever job he did… "Reno!" she said, rushing forward clumsily on her small heels. (She was used to flat bottomed boots)

"Hey babe, you look great." He said, his blue eyes fixed on the girl. It felt nice to have a guy looking at her that way, instead of seeing them all eyeing Tifa. He slid his hand around her waist, and walked with her to the entrance. As per usual his bright red hair was messy and spiked, while some long strands fell forward into his face, and the long portion in the back was tied into a low-laying ponytail. He wore a plain white dress shirt (which was partially unbuttoned) and black slacks. At the table they ordered drinks; he had wine, she simply asked for water. 'He's legal to drink…' that just showed how little the two really knew about each other. He must not have been too much older though, if looks were any indication.

"Reno?" she asked, her coffee-brown eyes settling on her cup of clear liquid. "How old are you?"

"Twenty one." He replied, leaning back in his chair almost lazily. "What about you?"

The fact that it was only a matter of two years perked her up a bit. "Nineteen." She was still full of questions, things that hadn't mattered before. Now she couldn't help it- she wanted to know all about him. "Where did you come from?"

"Gee, what is this dinner or Jeopardy?" He joked, "I'm from Midgar, yo." She shrugged it off; not much of a traveler, was he? To be on 'vacation' so close to home. She brushed some of her short black hair back behind her ear and batted her eyes flirtatiously. For as much as Yuffie denied it around Tifa his affections were anything but unwelcome, or in some cases unprovoked. "Ok, my turn- what are your favorite things?" she felt a bit bugged, seeing how superficial her own questions seemed in the face of his. 'It's ok, I'll think of something deep to ask; he won't best the white rose of Wutai!'

"Materia, of course!" she answered cheerily, having had a growing fascination with the stuff since she first saw it. "And I guess… I love all my weapons." She said. Great, now her answers didn't even sound deep. However it seemed he didn't care. She had closed her eyes for a moment, her face filling with a glowing smile. "And my friends." There. That meant something deep, right?

She opened her eyes only to be caught in his vibrant blue ones… they almost seemed like a slightly different shade in every light. Dinner went smoothly, although not all her questions got answered, much to her dismay. She pleaded with him to stay with her tonight; he said he had work in the morning. "But hey, I'll drive you back home. I don't even think you'll make it there alive in those heels, yo." He'd said before ushering her into the black car. There was just something unsettling about it… the car. Her foot touched something rolling around on the floor. A nightstick, metallic, like toe prods used by…

She looked at it in bewildered shock, not sure what to think, if she could even find the means to do that at all. Was he really a Turk? One of those slime, scum of the earth? She stared in disbelief, her stomach feeling weak. "You alright?" her eyes seemed to harden.

"It's nothing." Back at her apartment he made himself comfortable, lounging about on a chair at the table. She looked at him out the corner of her eye with disgust; vile creature, traitorous demon. "Hold on a minute, I'll be back." She said, slipping into her room, to her own little arsenal in the old wardrobe that stood at the back of the room. She pulled out a dart, and looked at the liquid inside; a simple knockout drug, but it wouldn't leave him out for too long. She smiled twistedly, recalling the night they first raided her home town. "I want him to feel this."

It was almost midnight when she stumbled into Seventh Heaven, Tifa was closing up the bar. Her face was blank, sheet white, her eyes dark. "Yuffie?" Tifa questioned, looking concerned. Yuffie sat down at the bar, lost in the memories… she was young when it had happened but they were so very cleanly cut into her memory it didn't matter. It was making her sick, the memory of the Turks, the way they destroyed her security, her own father having signed over the lives of their people to make way for a tourist attraction. "What happened?" Tifa said, just knowing something had gone wrong.

"Tifa… he's a Turk." She said, a simple truth that felt like acid rolling off her lips, it had a burn even to her. Tifa blinked and gave a confused, upset look. Yuffie's hands clenched into tight fists at her sides, her nails biting into her hands, tears welling up in her eyes. Tifa comfortningly placed and arm around the younger girls shoulders.

"I know. But the war is over- long over, Yuffie." She said. "They're not all bad people." Her tone was exhausted and saddened; and here she had thought everything was going so very well. Yuffie felt anger tearing at her insides.

"Lies! They're disgusting monsters, murderers!" she spat, feeling pain from her hands as the nails dug in deeper. She then began to sob- not because the White Rose would cry so easily over the memory of Turks, or the idea of knowing one… it was the pain of loving one. She could only see his face now, on those previously unidentified monsters, haunting her. Tifa stayed with her, and she thought she heard Cloud come into the room, but the young man caught sight of the crying female and scurried back up the stairs, sensing the danger of female dramas. After a few moments she murmured into the older girls shoulder, "I can't do this…"

"Dilly dally shilly shally." The other said. Yuffie looked up with irked confusion. "You can't go around living in the war, Yuffie! Why, I bet he was no more than five when all that happened." He couldn't be blamed for the savage acts of his predecessors, in all honesty. Yuffie felt sick again, and this time had to run off to the sink to avoid spewing on the other girl. What had she done? It was terrible… He was just some other kid, not a monster…

"I… I have to go!" she exclaimed, her voice tormented. She ran until she was out of breath to the apartment. He was still on the floor, bloodied and bruised like she had left him- at this point he didn't speak, nor look over at her. She knelt beside him, gently touching his shoulder, to which he shivered as though her hand were the claw of a vicious beast. "I… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…." She said, her voice terrified.

Reno moved slowly, turning to look at the teary eyed girl. "Why?" he asked.

"I… I can't stand Turks. They killed my people, brutally. But… I just couldn't control myself! I… I've never thought of Turks as anything but killers…" She admitted.

He was silent for a moment. "Nobody likes Turks." He said, "Not a soul but one of us would understand…. It's not a pretty job." He said, sadly. "I killed two people today; not a word of protest." He said, although there was no guilt in his admittance. Somehow it didn't help her grief. She untied his hands gently and stroked the harsh rope-burns on them.

"I don't blame you for hating me." She said.

"Ok, that's overkill. I… don't think I CAN hate you." He said softly. "But you know you're fucking crazy, right?"

She smiled weakly, unable to really feel happy about anything at the moment. "I know."

"I… have a little confession of my own. I wasn't on vacation… I was sent to watch you. I was supposed to keep an eye on the notorious White Rose of Wutai." He said. "Aren't we both just a sad puddle of lies…" He was really there for the inside scoop on a possible enemy.

"But… you left. Your job was over then?" she questioned.

"Yeah… I was supposed to end my report and go home." She stroked his long, red hair.

"You didn't." it was a statement of awe and uncertainty. Why should this Turk choose to come back? To a place like this, to a person like her.

"Turks can feel love too, you know." He had never seemed so human to her before. Once he was a toy, and angel, and finally a beast beyond compare. Never had she seen him as vulnerable, weak and human. She leaned down and kissed him; if he was crazy enough to stay, her level of insanity had nothing on him.

[[Author's note: Go easy on me, It's my first Final fantasy fanific, alright? ;) I'd love constructive criticism though; I don't know how well I did… ]]


End file.
